


Are you afraid of me?

by supremethunder



Category: Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Alpha Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, F/M, Hurt Bucky Barnes, Hurt/Comfort, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:14:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29238159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supremethunder/pseuds/supremethunder
Summary: Being Bucky's next-door neighbor initially meant only exchanging a greeting when you crossed paths in the building. Over time, your willingness to be patient with Bucky allowed you to get to know him a little better.James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

When you first met Bucky, you were in Bucharest working on your dissertation for your Ph.D. You both lived in the same apartment building, but the only time you saw him was when he was doing his laundry or out to do his grocery shopping for the month. Being the friendly person that you were, you would greet him each time you saw him when you crossed paths.

The first time you greeted him, he just stared at you. As if he couldn’t believe someone had gone out of their way to say hello to him. The most he could muster was a short nod of his head before he hurried off to his apartment. Luckily, this didn’t deter you from initiating a conversation with him. Your persistence seemed to wear him down enough to tell you his name when you ran into him at the grocery store one day. Other than his name, you didn’t really know anything else about Bucky, but you could tell he was a very private person and preferred to be left alone. Or so you thought.

Bucky had shown up at your door holding a case of beers.

“You thirsty?” Bucky asked, awkwardly rubbing his shoulder. “I wasn’t exactly sure how else to say thank you.”

“Thank you?” You repeated, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “For what?”

“The fact that you’ve gone out of your way to talk to me and try to make conversation. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it’s something that I’ve…learned to appreciate.”

You stood there silently, unable to formulate the words to respond to Bucky’s words. Up until now, you had assumed that Bucky didn’t want to be bothered. So, it was reassuring to find out how wrong you were about him.

“If this is too much, I understand. I can just—” You interrupted Bucky and shook your head.

“No, it’s not too much. Not at all. Come in, Bucky.” You held the door open to your apartment to allow Bucky inside.

For the first time in what felt like ages, Bucky smiled before stepping inside your apartment.

That one evening of sharing drinks together and chatting in your apartment quickly became one of your favorite past times. It had gradually become a weekly ritual to have Bucky come by your place on Friday nights and share a drink after you finished your research for your dissertation. The majority of those nights were spent discussing the work you were doing and the stress you felt trying to finish your dissertation to earn your Ph.D. Sometimes you’d switch it up and talk about your childhood or your interests that led up to you studying and working abroad in Bucharest today.

You’d constantly ask Bucky if the topic of your dissertation or venting about it was boring him and he would insist that it was anything but boring. Bucky seemed more interested in learning about you than talking about himself. It wasn’t until you worked up the courage to ask about his gloved hand did you get a chance to learn more about him.

“Hey, Bucky. If you don’t mind me asking, why do you wear that glove over your hand?” you asked, motioning towards his gloved hand.

Bucky stared down at his hand silently, clenching and unclenching his metal hand that was hidden underneath the fabric before he met your gaze again. You suddenly felt guilty for asking such a question.

“I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me to ask you that. You don’t have to tell me.” You reassured him.

To your surprise, you watched Bucky slowly remove the glove off his hand, revealing a metal hand. You stared at Bucky’s metal hand, amazed at the way his metal fingers would come to life as he moved his arm.

“Are you afraid of me?” Bucky whispered.

You stared at Bucky taken aback by his words. “Why would I be?”

“This hand is a reminder of all the things I want to forget but can’t. All the things I’ve been forced to endure and live with. It’s what makes me… a monster.”

Instead of reassuring Bucky with words that he wasn’t, you carefully took his metal hand in your own, intertwined your fingers together, and gave it a gentle squeeze. Oddly enough, the cool surface of his metal hand against your warm one soothed you even if his words about his metal hand were meant to have the opposite effect. Bucky froze, unable to look away from you as you silently held and squeezed his metal hand. 

As your hand squeezed and held his metal one, Bucky couldn’t help but feel a sense of peace wash over him. A feeling that he desperately wanted to feel, even though deep down he didn’t think he deserved to feel that way. Despite the fact he didn’t think he deserved peace, you gave it to him anyway. And for that, he was grateful.

“Thank you, (Name),” Bucky said.


	2. Celebratory Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had an urge to write something with more romance between these two characters, so I made this.

When Bucky heard your scream next door, he didn’t think. He acted. He ran out of his apartment and raced towards yours, kicking the door open without a second thought. When he barged into your apartment, he thought he might find you in a struggle of some sort, only to find you now looking back at him petrified. It took him seconds to realize that you were in no danger or harm.

“Jesus, Bucky?! You scared the shit out of me.” You placed a hand over your chest. “Did you just kick my door open?”

Bucky looked at your door to see that he had knocked the chain lock completely off your door.

“I’m really sorry,” Bucky sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “I heard you screaming, and I thought something was wrong. I’ll uh…I’ll replace the chain lock on your door.”

“I didn’t realize I was that loud.” You smiled nervously. “I was screaming because I was happy. I just got some really good news.”

“What’s the big news?” Bucky asked, stepping inside your apartment and closing the door behind him.

“I got the funding I needed for my dissertation. I applied for a scholarship for my university and I got it. It covers funding for my research and even provides me a stipend. This changes everything. I didn’t know what else to do but scream.” You said, unable to hide the excitement in your voice.

“That’s amazing! Congratulations! All your hard work is paying off.” Bucky quickly approached you and embraced you, making you yelp in surprise.

You hadn’t expected Bucky to hug you so close to him, but it felt nice and comforting. It had been quite some time since you had felt the embrace of the opposite sex. Getting a little swept up in the moment, you gently pressed your lips against his cheek. Bucky immediately stopped hugging you and looked at you, his blue eyes now staring back at you stunned by what you had just done.

“What was that for?” Bucky said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I’m sorry. I got a little carried away.” You said before you pulled away from Bucky’s arms.

“Nothing to be sorry about.” Bucky shook his head, pulling you back into his arms.

Your eyes widened as Bucky reached up with his metal hand and gently cupped your cheek to face him. You found yourself nuzzling into the cool surface of his metal hand before he tilted your head up to slowly pull your head forward and seal his lips with your own softer ones.

You exhaled softly, tilting your head to the side and slowly slip your arms around Bucky’s neck as he kissed you. The kiss was innocent at first, but it quickly grew more intense as you felt his tongue slowly pry your lips open and delve inside your mouth. You shivered as you felt his metal hand slide underneath your shirt, gently cupping your breast that was hidden underneath your bra. You moaned softly in his mouth, your tongues both fighting for dominance as Bucky continued squeezing and caressing your soft mounds. You slowly pulled away from Bucky’s mouth to give yourself a chance to breathe.

“Wow, if this is what you’re like when I win a scholarship, I can’t wait to see how you react when I finally get my Ph.D.” You said half-jokingly.

“Who says we have to wait until then?” Bucky gently pushes you backward until your back hits the door, effectively pinning you against it.

You smile at Bucky shyly, humming in satisfaction as he lifts you up against the door with ease and you wrap your legs around him. “You’re right, we don’t.”

The only words you exchanged that afternoon with each other were the cries and moans of each other’s names mixed in with profanities.


End file.
